Event overview

This expert roundtable, organised by the Trade and Agriculture Directorate of the OECD and the Energy, Environment and Resources Department at Chatham House, will identify and start to address key knowledge gaps in our understanding of the impact of trade on circular economy (CE) and vice versa.

The event will bring together expert participants from academia, business, government and civil society to analyse issues such as restrictions on the trade of secondary materials as obstacles to closing material loops, the impact of CE policy implementation in OECD countries on resource-dependent developing countries and e-waste trade flows. Subsequent to the meeting, an issues paper on trade and the circular economy, a collective effort including the themes that will be discussed during the roundtable, will be elaborated with a concentration on recycling and reuse of metals.

The intersection between trade and the circular economy is a relatively new research area with a need for more analysis, but important lessons might be drawn from wider trade and environment experience, from the role of international treaties in this area such as the Basel Convention, or from case studies of firm value chains and strategies.

Attendance at this event is by invitation only.

Contact

Johanna Lehne

Research Associate, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House